U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a ceasefire peace deal for Gaza.
If formally approved by the Israeli government, it will pave the way for peace in Gaza, the release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel’s government is expected to meet at around 14:00 Jerusalem time (12:00 BST) on Thursday to approve the deal. If the agreement is ratified, the ceasefire will go into effect immediately. The U.S. has said that all remaining Israeli captives would be released on Monday if the plan is formally approved.
Hamas has also agreed to the deal, which was reached following days of intensive negotiations in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh. The talks were mediated by Egypt, with the participation of Qatar, the United States, and Turkey.
The breakthrough comes after days of high-level negotiations hosted by Egypt. The discussions, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, brought together delegations from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. Additional representatives from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Turkey later joined the talks.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner all took part in the sessions.
On Wednesday morning, an expanded round of talks was held between Egyptian intelligence officials, Qatari mediators, and senior U.S., Turkish, and Israeli envoys, following a separate closed-door meeting with Hamas representatives.
Trump May Visit Egypt to Seal the Deal
Earlier in the day before Trump’s latest announcement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi publicly praised Trump’s “genuine will” to end the war and invited him to Egypt to formally sign the agreement if a deal was reached.
Speaking at the Police Academy’s 2025 Graduation Day ceremony in Cairo, El-Sisi said that “the world is waiting for an end to the conflict, the release of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the start of reconstruction for the people of Gaza and the West Bank.”
He confirmed that the Sharm El-Sheikh negotiations were progressing and that a U.S. delegation, carrying what he described as a “strong mandate” from Trump, had arrived in Egypt on Tuesday.
Following El-Sisi’s remarks, Trump told reporters that he might travel to Egypt this weekend to finalize the peace deal if it is approved by Israel’s cabinet.
“I may depart on Saturday,” Trump said. “They are going to need me pretty quickly.”
Trump added that the agreement represented the first phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan, which includes provisions for a ceasefire, the release of prisoners, Israel’s withdrawal, and the start of reconstruction efforts.
If approved by Israel’s government, the ceasefire would mark the most significant step toward peace in Gaza since Israel began its strikes two years ago, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians.
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